Stroke of Faith
by kitgermany
Summary: Trapped on a planet, Archer and T'Pol learn a new level of cooperation.
1. Default Chapter

Enterprise

"Stroke of Faith"

By Kathrin Mueller

Pairing: Archer / T'Pol

Rating: PG 13

Summary: Trapped on a planet, Archer and T'Pol learn a new level of cooperation

Disclaimer: star trek and all that belong to paramount not to me. I am just playing around. 

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Chapter One

It was all dark. The scent of burned flesh filled the air. Jonathan Archer opened his eyes, only to find that he was lying face down on the floor. He tried to determine if he was injured then tried to get up. He almost fainted, but by grabbing a stool he managed to pull himself up. He stood there, a bit unsteadily, looking down at himself. There was blood on his uniform but he didn't know whether it was his or some one else's. His head hurt, as did almost every other part of his body. He would take care of that later. He turned around to observe the shuttle-pod. His breathing almost stopped at the sight. Ensign Barthez' throat was cut open, a piece of metal jutted out of her neck. Lieutenant Smith was lying on a console, not moving. Archer took a step towards him and turned him around. He closed his eyes on the sight. Smith's face was burned, his uniform merely a loose piece of charred fabric. 

Only one crewmember left on the shuttle-pod: T'Pol. Archer shivered at the thought that she might have died in the accident, too. He found her under a pile of debris, green blood all over her. _Please_, Archer thought, _not another one_. He quickly removed all the fragments that were covering her. She was lying on her back, her head rested on her left shoulder. Without the catastrophic surroundings of the shuttlecraft, Archer would have enjoyed watching her this way. She looked as if she was sleeping, so innocent. Archer shook his head to prevent himself from floating away into a daydream. _This is not the right time, _he reminded himself. He checked if she was still alive. He sighed with relief when he found her breathing. _I wouldn't know what to do… _

He had to get her out of the shuttle-pod. It was dirty, and the air was painful in his lungs. Jonathan picked his science officer up, and carried her outside. It was a beautiful day. The sky didn't show any clouds, the surroundings offered him the bright colors of flowers, and in a distant he heard bird's song. If he didn't turn around to see the wreckage of the pod, he would have had the illusion of a paradise. Archer softly laid T'Pol down in the grass, about 50 meters away from the shuttle-craft. He observed her fragile body. Her face was covered with dozens of small cuts, green blood emerging from every single one. There also was a bloodstain on her uniform, on her right shoulder. Other than that she seemed unscathed. Knowing she would be safe, he hurried back to the shuttle-pod to look for a med-kit and a communicator. Archer found a scanner, a phase pistol, and the med-kit, next to some bandages and a hypo-spray. He would look for the communicator later; his first priority was to get T'Pol back to the living world. 

He kneeled down beside her, moving the scanner across her face, chest and limbs. Her organs were undamaged, as was her skull. She had not lost too much blood. He was relieved, then a slight anomaly caught his eye. The scanner showed a tiny metal fragment in her back. Jonathan turned her around, careful not to cause her any pain. The first thing he saw was a tiny bloodstain on the uniform, right where her shoulder blades met. He looked closer and saw a shiny piece of metal sticking out of it. _Oh my goodness… _Archer was not a doctor, but he knew where the spine was located. He now knew that he had to contact Phlox immediately. He ran back to the pod. The communication system was unusable. The panel had exploded while Ensign Smith had been sitting in front of it. Archer had to look for the small communicators. His had slipped out of its holster. He got down on the floor, searching with his hands in the dust until he found it. He opened it and punched a button.

"Archer to Enterprise, please come in, this is a medical emergency!"

He waited a couple seconds, but there was no answer. He switched the frequency and tried again.

"Archer to Enterprise, come in goddamit!"

He heard a slight disturbance, and then silence again. 

"Archer to Enterprise!"

Some more disturbances, then finally he heard Hoshi's familiar voice.

"This is Enterprise, Captain."

Archer quickly explained the situation, asking for medical assistance. 

"We are sorry, captain. The magnetic field that caused your crash permits us to beam you up, or anything down."

"How come we haven't seen the magnetic field when we scanned the planet?"

There was a slight pause, Archer heard some mumbling in the background.

"What is going on?" he asked. 

"Captain, this is Malcolm. We had to align our sensors to be able to find the magnetic field. It is very strong sir. I doubt that this line will be up for much longer, I give it maybe 10 minutes. Not much longer."

"Then get me the doctor, quick!"

Archer glanced over to T'Pol. He knew how serious an injury to the central nerve cord could be. 

"This is Phlox, please state the medical emergency, Captain."

"Sub-Commander T'Pol has a tiny object in her back, a metal splinter. It is right where the spine should be located, unless you tell me that Vulcans don't have a spine."

"Well, they quite do, Captain. As it is not possible for me to come down or for the patient to come aboard the Enterprise, I suggest you remove it yourself. I will guide you through the operation."

Archer was quickly opening the med-kit, getting out medical tools. While he was working on the injured Vulcan, he hoped that the com-line would be up long enough. He had to concentrate on not letting his hand tremble. He had never done a surgery before, not even on a human body. The green blood that emerged from the wound was very disturbing, but he knew that he had to keep his head clear to save T'Pol. He couldn't let her die. If the splinter was removed, she would soon fall into a coma, Phlox had assured him. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Archer held the metal splinter in his hand. This tiny object had almost killed his science officer. 

"I got it, Doctor. I just hope I didn't cut any important nerves."

"Even if you did, Captain, you saved her life. Wait, hold on, Lieutenant Reed wants to talk to you."

"Go ahead, please."

"Captain, this is Malcolm again. The com-line will be up for 2 more minutes. We cannot beam you up due to the magnetic field, would you like us to send a shuttle for you?"

Archer looked down on T'Pol and back on the wreckage.

"Would there be any chance that it wouldn't be affected by the field?"

"I don't know, Sir."

"Then don't. We can't risk any more lives. We already lost two crewmen."

"But Sir, you won't be able to come back…"

Archer closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I know, Malcolm, I know."

"Sir, there must…. option… save…"

The line was dead. Archer tried a couple times to reach his ship again, but it was no use. He had lost contact with the Enterprise, and there was no chance of returning to the ship. He and T'Pol were stranded on this planet.


	2. Stroke of Faith Chapter Two

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Chapter Two

Archer poured some water onto the Vulcans lips. T'Pol was still unconscious. He was relieved though, the medical scanner assured him that she was not in mortal danger anymore. Jonathan was glad that he had found some water and food supplies on the wreckage that were not destroyed in the crash. He also had gotten out a blanket. The sun was setting, and he didn't know how cold it got at night around here. Archer rinsed the wounds in her face and tenderly stroked back a strand of her hair that had gotten out of place. She looked too beautiful. He felt the need of touching her, of holding her close, but he controlled himself. He knew that Vulcans didn't like to be touched, and T'Pol had made it clear that she was not an exception. Jonathan had to admit though that on several occasions, when he was forced to physical contact with her, he enjoyed it. He remembered how they had been tied together, and how much he had to control himself not to get carried away by it. 

He got ripped out of his thoughts as he saw T'Pol stir. She opened her eyes and stared at him. Her voice was weak when she started talking.

"Why… am I lying… on the ground?"

Jonathan offered her a hand to help her sit up, she gladly took it. But as she tried to stand up, she stumbled and fell back onto the soil. 

"What is wrong, T'Pol?"

"I… I do not feel my legs."

_No, this is not possible… I must have cut a nerve to her lower body! Please, let this only be temporary_… Archer thought. He ran his scanners over T'Pol again. He took a deep breath before explaining their situation to his science officer.

T'Pol seemed a bit concerned, Archer didn't blame her for that.

"I thank you for saving me, Captain. Let me try to sit up, maybe I can lean on that tree over there."

He nodded, and with her unspoken permission he picked her up and carried her to a giant tree, letting her down right in front of the stem. She leaned on it, using her arms to keep balance.

Jonathan sat down next to her, he didn't want to look down on her, making her feel any worse. Feel? Archer didn't know to what extent T'Pol was actually able to feel emotions, he knew that she didn't express them, but he was sure that she didn't feel too good right now. 

"So, I guess now it is the two of us down here. The initial scans of the planet didn't show any intelligent life forms, just a huge variety of plants and animals."

"That is reason we came down here, to explore the flora and fauna," replied T'Pol. 

They were just sitting there, leaning against the tree, watching the sun go down. Archer lost track of time. He didn't care about time anymore. They would have plenty of it. As the sun had almost vanished behind the horizon, T'Pol moved her face towards Archer.

"We should spend the first night in the shuttle-pod, for we have no shelter outside."

Archer smiled.

"I would rather sleep outside than go back inside there. I haven't cleaned up yet, you know."

"I see."

"I will try to build us a shelter, starting tomorrow morning. I don't think it will hurt to spend a night under the stars."

T'Pol nodded. Archer got up to fetch some wood which he piled together. He used his phase pistol to ignite the fire, brightening up their surroundings. It has gotten dark around them. Archer decided to stay awake, to keep an eye on T'Pol. She wouldn't be able to run away in case some animal decided to attack them. Archer didn't know anything about this planet yet. _Better be careful_, he thought. He fetched the blanket for T'Pol. 

"Ready to go to sleep?"

T'Pol nodded. She was exhausted. Jonathan helped her lying down, then tucked her into the blanket. She would be warm that night. He was very tempted to kiss her good night on the forehead, but he regained his control back just in time. He just smiled at her.

"Don't let the bedbugs bite."

She looked up at him, quite confused.

"Ah, never mind. Just sleep well."

T'Pol closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep almost immediately. Jonathan watched her lying there. _So pretty_… He stared at her for an eternity. When he was sure she was alright he got the medical scanner again. This time he examined himself. He didn't find any major injuries, a couple bruises and cuts, nothing that would heal off by itself soon. He had been very lucky to not get wounded seriously. He looked up into the sky. It had gotten all dark around them, but there were no clouds in the sky, so he could see the stars. He had to think about Ensign Barthez and Lieutenant Smith. They had been so anxious going on this away mission. Now they were dead. Jonathan reminded himself that he still had to bury their corpses.

_First thing in the morning,_ he thought_._ _First thing in the morning_.


	3. Stroke of Faith Chapter Three

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Chapter Three

When T'Pol woke up, Archer was gone. She found herself lying on the ground, her head rested on her arms. The campfire had gone out. Little clouds of smoke still emerged from it, finding their way up in the sky. T'Pol took a big breath. The air smelled so clean, it reminded her of previous away-missions. On Vulcan the air was a lot sharper and warmer, but this place here felt refreshing in her lungs. She wanted to get up and take a look around. She tried to move her legs, but she couldn't. A slight sensation of terror came unto her, which she quickly repressed. _I am a Vulcan. I do not feel terror_, she reminded herself. T'Pol now used her arms to get her body in an upright position. She observed the surroundings. The wreckage of the shuttle pod was wedged in between two trees, it was in a bad condition. They wouldn't be able to use it anymore. Her glance now wandered over the landscape. It was beautiful. She let herself enjoy it for a bit, knowing that Jonathan did not see her. Although their friendship had grown the past months, she did not want to show him, what was going on insider her. Yet. 

In the distance she saw some mountains with snow-tops, right before them was a little lake, surrounded by a forest. Right around T'Pol were so many colorful plants and flowers, she wished to get up and observe them closer. But the thought of being crippled came back to her mind. She most likely would never be able to walk again. T'Pol closed her eyes. She didn't want to pity herself, she needed to be strong now. This was not easy for Jonathan either. Two members of his crew had been killed in this accident, when the shuttle was out of control due to the magnetic field of the planet. Now he would have to take care of the situation alone, he would have to find a way to survive on this planet. T'Pol was not able to help him. She bowed her head. It would take some time for her to adjust to the new situation. Jonathan and her, all alone on this uninhabited planet, with no hope of being rescued. 

Footsteps were approaching her. She turned her head to see Jonathan, his eyes looked sorrowful. He carried a shovel. 

"Good morning, T'Pol. Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning, Captain. Yes, I did."

He said down next to her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

She looked around again. 

"I would like to observe those flowers later on, if possible."

Jonathan smiled. 

"You can't just enjoy the simplicity of nature, can you? Always have to observe, analyze and file every kind of data you find."

She looked him straight in the eye.

"What I meant to say is that I would like to have a closer look, I find those flowers quite… appealing."

Archer looked surprised, but he didn't question her further. He was glad that she was warming up a little. Maybe this whole situation would let her drop some of her Vulcan coolness.

"I'll be glad to show them to you. May I?" T'Pol nodded.

Archer got up and put his arms around her shoulders, lifting her up so he could carry her. He held her close to him, enjoying the physical contact but dared not show it to her. _Remember, she is Vulcan. She probably does not want this at all, but she has no choice…_ T'Pol laid her arms around his neck, so she wouldn't fall down. Archer smiled again. _Maybe she does not feel too uncomfortable at all_, he thought, but dismissed the thought right away. 

He brought her to the flowers. So many colors and smells seemed to overload his senses, he had to be careful not to get lost in the moment. 

"Right here will be fine, Captain." He carefully placed her on the ground, next to a mass of purple flowers, they had small blooms, but a very distinct smell. T'Pol reached her hand out to touch them, but just before her fingers reached them, she stopped.

"They are okay, T'Pol. I already scanned the surroundings. There is nothing poisoned around here. Even the water of the lake back there is fine."

She nodded. As she touched the bloom a soft tone emerged from it. She moved her hand back immediately. Jonathan said down next to her. 

"What was that?" he asked. 

"I don't know, these flowers seem to produce music."

She touched another one, it's tone now was louder and the pitch a little higher than the last one. Archer joined her, together they tried to find all notes of the musical scale. He totally lost track of time. Those flowers eluded him, and T'Pol also didn't seem so tense as usual. When they both reached for the same bloom, he smiled. He only touched her hand for a brief moment, before she pulled it back. Suddenly Archers face darkened.

"What is wrong, Captain?"

"I just thought about Smith and Barthez, they do not have the chance to enjoy these wonderful flowers."

T'Pol was silent for a moment, she thought of a way to cheer him up. 

"I heard that there was a tradition on earth, to put flowers on graves. Is it true?"

"Yes, that is right. This is a great idea, T'Pol. That way they can…. enjoy them too."

He pulled the flower out that was closet to him. T'Pol also started picking some, and after a little while they had an enormous amount of little flowers. Archer gave them all to T'Pol, so he could get up and carry her to the graves.

They were simple. No marks, just a little pile of loose lumps of earth reminded him of the location. He held T'Pol in his arms, as she put the flowers down. Again, soft music filled the air. He stood there for quite some time, holding her, listening to the tunes and thinking about the dead crewmen. A loud bang made him whirl around. 

"What was that?" he asked T'Pol.

She pointed over to the shuttle pod.

"Something appears to have landed next to it. A box or a container maybe."

"We should have a look at it."

T'Pol wondered if his arms ever got tired of carrying her around, but she dared asking him. In fact, despite being helpless, she enjoyed having him so close. _What am I thinking_… She had managed to control every thought about and longing for her captain the past months, she didn't want to let this control slip now. 

Archer hurried back to the shuttle pod. He saw a metal container right in front of it, a parachute was lying on the ground next to it. The container was still red-hot from passing through the atmosphere.

"Well, we better wait until it cools off…" Jonathan noticed.

"I am… impressed," T'Pol mentioned. Archer looked at her surprised.

"How come?"

"They managed to land this right in front of the shuttle pod, they had to keep in mind a lot of variables. Movement of the planet, possible wind or storms in the upper atmosphere, the time on when to open the parachute…"

Another bang, really close to them stopped T'Pol's contemplation.

"We better get away from here," Archer reminded her, pointing upwards. T'Pol saw at least five more containers on their way down. They moved away from the landing sight, Archer brought them back to the place where they had spent the night. He leaned T'Pol against the tree again, being very careful not to cause her any more discomfort than necessary. They sat there, watching all the containers go down. Not a single missed its destination by more than 5 meters.

"They sure were really hard-working up there," Archer quietly pointed out. He just remembered that his ship was up there, still orbiting the planet, ready to explore new worlds. It has always been his dream to fly through space, to contact new life and have one heck of an adventure. His crew would continue on, sure, they would try to find a way to get him and T'Pol back to the ship, but eventually they would leave, probably called off by Starfleet. The stranded crewmen would be classified as hopeless. No spacecraft would get through the magnetic field without being destroyed, and he didn't want to imagine what he would look like if they used the transporter on him. He heard about terrible transporter accidents, and didn't want to give it a shot here. Archer was not the type to give up, but he slowly felt his dream slip away. T'Pol noticed his change in mood. She didn't know if it was the best thing to do, but she put her hand on his.

"We will get through this, Captain. I am sure. There will be a way."

Archer stared into her eyes for a long time. How he would have liked to hug her for that. She had this ability to give him strength, to cheer him up. She had always been there when he needed her, and vice versa. He thought that he would not be able to carry on without her. _If she had died… I wouldn't know what to do._

T'Pol broke the eye-contact first. She felt somewhat uncomfortable. In her was this longing for her captain, she wanted him to look at her, but she reminded herself of her Vulcan heritage again. _It is illogical to feel this sort of desire… especially for a superior officer. _

"It seems like all containers reached the ground, Captain. It is safe now to go back and open them."

Archer had to force himself to get up. He wanted to sit next to T'Pol and look at her forever, but she was right, they were more important things to do right now.

"I will pick you up if you take back that 'Captain'. I wouldn't consider this an away-mission anymore." He smiled at her. "You called me Jonathan before, and this will do just fine."

She nodded. 

"I think it is time to check onto the containers, Jonathan."

After a little while all twenty of them were opened. His crew didn't forget anything. There were medical supplies, food, blankets, material to build a shelter, cloths, cooking utilities, books, soap and other cleaning utilities. 

"They sure think we will be staying down here for a while…" Archer was overwhelmed with the amount of objects that were lying around him. T'Pol pointed out a small box to him, that he had not opened yet. He fetched it and sat down next to her. He had some trouble opening it, and when he managed to open the lid, he saw a little force field surrounding the contents of the box. 

"May I?" asked T'Pol. Archer handed her the box, she quickly touched just the right places on the outside of the box to disable the force field.

"Wow, how did you know how to shut that off?"

"Lieutenant Reed had been working on this force field, he had informed me about his progress." 

"Well, I am glad he did. What is inside?"

T'Pol pulled out a data-padd and handed it Archer. He punched a button and Hoshi's face appeared on the view screen.

"We all hope that this reaches you undamaged. Lieutenant Reed thinks that the force field protects the electronics of the padd, but we cannot be sure of that. You should have received all the containers by now, we sent away twenty. You find all necessary supplies to survive down there. We don't know yet whether we will be able to get you back on the ship, but we want you to know that we are not giving up on our Captain and our science officer."

Archer smiled. He knew that his crew would do everything that was possible to rescue them.

"Lieutenant Reed is working on a larger version of the force field to protect a whole shuttle-pod from the magnetic field, but unfortunately he hasn't gotten very far yet. We will all continue working on a rescue-plan. Nevertheless, every member of the crew recorded a personal message for the two of you, you find them also on this padd."

Hoshi turned the camera so that Archer and T'Pol had a glance at the whole bridge.

"We hope that you are alright down there, and with any luck you two will be up here very soon. End recording."

The screen went black. Archer looked at T'Pol again. 

"Seems we'll have to get settled here. What do you think of breakfast?"

"That would be appropriate." 

Archer got up to get some food. He found some nicely wrapped plomeek soup for T'Pol and some scrambled eggs for himself_._ _After breakfast I will start building a shelter_, he decided.


	4. Stroke of Faith Chapter Four

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Chapter Four

When Archer got done he marveled at his accomplishment. He had built the hut just before the forest started, about a hundred meters away from the lake. Their new shelter was small, but functional, maybe ten squared meters in size. His crew has sent them down an air-bed, big enough for the two of them. They also had two chairs, a table and a cooking-area with a gas cooker, a little climatized cabinet that could work as a refrigerator and a sink, to wash the dishes in. The walls, floor and the ceiling were out of a light aluminum material which kept the room just at a perfect temperature. Archer has put two containers into the hut, one where he stored the clothes in, and one for the dishes and the cleaning utilities. 

"Now, something is missing yet…" he mumbled. He hurried outside, back to the flowers, and picked some, so he had a pretty little bunch of flowers. On his way back to the hut, he hoped that T'Pol would enjoy those flowers as much as he did. He got a glass out of the dishes container, poured some water in it and placed the flowers in there. The hut immediately looked a lot more friendly to him. Now he decided to show it to T'Pol. She had asked to wait at the lake, wanted to watch the water which helped her meditate. He slowly approached her, making sure not to disturb her. She was sitting on the shore, her eyes closed. Archer wondered how she could keep the balance so easily, but then again, she was a Vulcan. They had the ability of self-control in their genes. He stood there, watching her, for quite some time, until she realized that she was not alone anymore. 

"You can come closer, Jonathan." He complied. 

"I built us a home sweet home, and I would like you to see it."

She gave him this look again. His earth-phrases always disturbed her. He would have to teach her more of them.

"It is just a saying, to express ones approval of the home."

"I understand. I would like to see the… sweet home."

Archer loved how she could always make him smile. He carried her to the hut, and over the doorstep.

"Honey, we're home!" he shouted. The look on T'Pol's face was priceless. For a short second she allowed herself the hint of a smile, but gained control right away.

"Let me guess, another of your sayings."

Jonathan put her down on the mattress. 

"It is still kinda spartan," he noted.

"It will suit the needs," came the dry remark. T'Pol seemed to lighten up though as she saw the flowers Jonathan put on the table. He didn't overlook the slight change in her face.

"I am glad you like the flowers, I put them up just for you."

"Thank you, they are quite aesthetic."

Archer sat down on the mattress.

"I wasn't able to build in a toilet or a shower, we will have to take care of that outside."

T'Pol seemed as if she wanted to reply, but didn't say anything.

"Something wrong?" Archer asked.

"Well, Jonathan, I might need your assistance with… my bathroom matters. I would appreciate if you could help me."

Archer knew that it had cost her a great effort to ask him this favor, and he didn't want to deny it to her. 

"Of course, I will bring you outside right away."

He had picked out a small opening in the forest before where they could go to relieve themselves. He would try to build a lavatory there later on, but now T'Pol would have to deal with the open nature. When they got there, Archer didn't really know how to react at first. T'Pol surely wasn't able to undress herself, so he had to help her with that.

"Would you feel more comfortable if I closed my eyes?" he asked softly.

"That won't be necessary. If you could just help me with the clothes, I see two branches over there…" she pointed in their direction "… where I could support against myself."  
Archer nodded. 

"Yes certainly."

He mustered T'Pol again. She was still wearing her one-piece uniform, it was dirty and she probably would like a change of clothes anyway. He decided to suggest her a bath in the lake afterwards. But first he had to concentrate on undressing her. He had to take a grip on himself to act professionally. After all, this was his science officer. He helped T'Pol to lean against a tree, her strong arms kept her from slipping down. _She is so strong, I don't know if I would have the strength to go through this if I were the injured one._ He took a deep breath and started undressing her. T'Pol had to basically shut off all emotions to not be affected by this humiliating incident. It was no use though, she had to urinate sometime anyway, why not get it over now. Archer had stripped her uniform off, now she was there, wearing Starfleet underwear. He couldn't help it but to muster her for a quick moment.   
"Jonathan, I would like to get this over with quick."

"Yes, of course, T'Pol, I am sorry." He gave himself a mental box on the ears.

Archer was really glad that her underwear was a two-piece, so he would just have to pull off her panties. _As if that would be easy…_ He was very tender, but he couldn't help touching her skin as he undressed her. It was so soft, so warm… He had to be careful not to touch her too long. He did not want her to know that he was craving to feel her this way. 

He didn't look at her half-naked body when he got done taking her clothes off, without a word he carried her to the branches and let T'Pol got comfortable. 

"I will go get some toilet paper for you, just call me when you are ready."

She looked him right in the eye, knowing that it hadn't been easy for him either.

"I will. And… thank you, Jonathan."

He walked away, back to the hut to fetch some paper. Could they both stand this circumstance for a long period of time? He hurried back to her when he heard her calling. He gave her the paper and waited a little way away from her, to give her at least a tiny bit of privacy. 

"Now, could you help me to get dressed again?"

"Sure." He moved her legs so that she stood in her panties, and he pulled them up. _Getting them off was way easier_, Archer thought. After what seemed like a never-ending struggle with her uniform, she was dressed. 

"You know," Archer suggested, "the ship also sent down clothes, and ours, well, are kinda dirty. What do you think of a bath and then change into some clean ones?"

The sight of a bathing Jonathan popped into T'Pol's mind.

"Yes, getting clean is a good idea."

As Jonathan was walking them to the lake, he couldn't forget the sensation of her skin. _I hope I can control myself when we are bathing… _


	5. Stroke of Faith Chapter Five

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Chapter Five

T'Pol was sitting right in front of the lake, her feet already in the water. She had managed to take off her boots by herself. The cool water felt very refreshing. Archer came out of the hut, with some towels, soap and clothes in his hands. He couldn't keep his eyes off her when he approached T'Pol. How he wished he could just wrap his arms around her and hold her like this forever. _She is still your science officer. And a Vulcan_! he tried to remind himself again. It was no use. He couldn't deny it to himself anymore. He desired her. Her body, her mind, and even her heart. He knew that she had one, that she just kept feelings to herself. Vulcans don't talk about their emotions, and most of them never show them. _What a pity_. What had happened to Archer? Just a couple months ago he would have sent every Vulcan to hell, how dare they to keep back information! But now his point of view had changed. This woman sitting at the lake, a Vulcan, has changed everything. At first he started to respect her, and he was pleased that a friendship between was developing. Slowly, but steady, they were growing together. Archer wouldn't let her slip away.

"Care for a swim?" he asked as he finally stood next to her. 

"I don't think swimming will be an option. I cannot use my legs."

"Don't worry, I won't let you drown."

Archer had to look down at her to talk to her, which he didn't like at all, T'Pol was more a person he would want to look up to. He didn't like that she was sitting on the ground all the time. _Maybe I should built her a chair for outside. Next thing after the lavatory is done_. He gave her the soap, picked her up and walked into the water with her. She stared at him with her brown eyes, letting her arms flow on the water as Archer supported her back. 

"To get clean I will need to be undressed, Jonathan."

He couldn't help looking at her perfect face.

"Yes, of course."

His left arm remained under T'Pol's back, to keep her floating. His right hand touched her shoulder, resting there, afraid to go further. _Come on, you have just done this. No need to be scared_. T'Pol sensed his fear.

"It is alright, Jonathan, I do not… mind you touching me." _Did I just say that_? This time T'Pol gave herself a mental box on the ear. Archer smiled. He felt a lot better now. He undressed her again, slowly and carefully. The sight of her body was not clear through the water, and he was glad for that. How fragile she was. With some difficulty he had removed her dirty and torn uniform. It floated away in the lake. He stared at T'Pol's face again, her beautiful eyes, and she stared back. They didn't move for quite some time. A cry of a bird in the forest brought Archer back to reality. T'Pol was still wearing her underwear, and he would have to get rid off that too. There was no need to talk. The world was silent around them again. Behind the mountains, the sun started to set. S_uch a beautiful evening, such a perfect woman_, Archer thought. With his right hand he slipped off her t-shirt, revealing her bra. He tried not to get distracted by it. He opened the bra and it went on floating to join the other parts of her clothes. _Now just one more thing_. He gently put his hand on her hips. T'Pol felt very relaxed, knowing that she was perfectly safe. She sensed that he was somewhat scared of stripping her completely naked, so she put her right hand on his. Archer smiled, and together with T'Pol, he slowly pulled down her panties, respecting every inch of her beautifully shaped body. There she was, floating in the water, completely naked, looking at him with her innocent face. _I could just kiss her right now_, Archer thought. He couldn't. He admired this woman, valued their friendship too much to risk it all for a brief touch of their lips. He was sure that T'Pol would not return the kiss. But he couldn't take his eyes off her. T'Pol handed him the soap. He was a little embarrassed, cause he had been staring at her, again, and too long. 

"Now this will get you all clean."

"Thank you, Jonathan. I really appreciate this." She wanted to say more, wanted to let him know that she enjoyed him touching her, that he moved something deep inside her that she didn't even know it existed before she met him. Her Vulcan education dictated her not to feel that way, and even if she did, not to show it. Her heart told her different. 

He moved the soap over her body, starting at the neck, slowly getting down to her breasts. Archer couldn't believe that he was touching her that way. She shivered. 

"You want to do this by yourself?" he asked helplessly. T'Pol was glad, she wouldn't have been able to control herself any longer if he continued to touch her. She nodded and took the soap, cleaning every part of her body she could reach. Archer held her up, making sure her head would not get underwater. He wanted this moment to last forever, but eventually she finished soaping the upper part of her body. She gave him the soap again.

"Could you help me with the legs, please?"

Archer had to swallow. _Ah, come on, you are not a teenager anymore. You are a Starfleet captain. Be professional!!!_ he convinced himself. He started soaping her legs, trying to think of something else. He managed to control himself. When he got done, he looked in her eyes again. 

"Okay, all done now."

"Thanks again, Jonathan. The water is getting cold, would you please take me out?"

He nodded.

"Certainly."

Archer walked out of the water, carrying her in front of him, still naked. Water was running off her skin. Archers uniform was wet itself, but he didn't mind. He would take a swim after T'Pol was dry and dressed again. He fetched the towel, put it around her and seated her on the ground again. He got down next to her, got another towel and started with drying her back. It was so soft. He then got to her legs, rubbing them until they were dry. Archer stood up, got the t-shirt and the Starfleet panties for T'Pol while she was drying the rest of her body. He helped her inside her panties, keeping his eyes at non-dangerous level, he was staring at her face again. T'Pol managed to put the t-shirt on by herself. Both were really glad that she was dressed again. _Now, that was something_, Archer thought. _Don't know if I can stand bathing her everyday without doing whatever again… _

"Well, T'Pol, I will go for a swim now, this old uniform doesn't quite match my definition of clean. Shall I bring you to the hut first?"

Her glance wandered over the lake.

"I would prefer to remain here a little longer, if you don't mind."

_How could I…_ Archer stood up and got to the lake. His back facing T'Pol he undressed, somewhat in a haste. He hurried into the water, enjoying the privacy and coolness it brought to him. _Ah, this is just what I need. _

He swam in the lake for about half an hour. As he started to feel tired and cold, he decided to get out again. He couldn't walk backwards out of the lake, but he decided to face T'Pol with pride and a lot of confidence. He had seen her naked, and it would be only fair if he gave her the chance to see him naked. But T'Pol was lying on her back. She didn't see Archer come out of the lake. He got dry and dressed as quickly as he could and laid down next to her. They were both staring into the sky. It was already getting dark. Archer could make out a few stars. He pointed up at one of them.

"You think this is the Enterprise?"

T'Pol wanted to reply something like, no, it is very unlikely that the Enterprise is in the part of the sky we see right now, but instead she said: "It might be."

Archer was surprised, but decided not to mention that this answer was un-Vulcan. He just smiled. Archer truly enjoyed this moment. They had only been here for a little over 24 hours, still so much had happened. He just remembered that he hadn't eaten since they had breakfast. 

"What do you think of dinner, T'Pol?"

"A good suggestion, I was about to mention it myself, too."

Archer carried her back to the hut, wondering what he could fix for dinner.


	6. Stroke of Faith Chapter Six

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Chapter Six

After having salad and pasta, Archer now cleaned the dishes as T'Pol was sitting on the bed, scrolling through the messages the crew had recorded for her. Everyone had a little something to say, even people that she never really talked to were telling her that they wished she would soon be able to return. T'Pol was flattered, she would have never experienced this companionship on a Vulcan vessel. As she waited to open Trip's message, she called Archer. "Commander Tucker recorded a message for the two of us together."

"I just got done anyway," Archer responded, and sat down next to her on the bed. T'Pol pushed a button and Trip's face appeared on the view screen.

"Cap'n, T'Pol… we're doin' our best up here to work on a way to get you back, and I just want to let you both know, that… in case we don't find one… I will carry on Enterprise's mission. Starfleet has given me strict orders. They are not very optimistic about your situation. They told me to hang in orbit for three weeks at the most, and then to… leave you. I hope you have everything you need down there. I will miss our meals together." He paused for a moment, as if we wanted to say more but wasn't able to. "We will drop you a padd every day to keep you up to date. Tucker out."

Archer put the pad aside. He stared at it for a long time before he turned to T'Pol again.

"I don't know what to say," he whispered. She didn't answer. They sat there, in silence, for a long time. Archer wondered what had happened to his ever so optimistic attitude. He couldn't give up. Not yet. But a part of him asked _Why bother? You have this wonderful woman here with you. Why bother going back where you will never have the chance to love her? _

Archer was afraid of his thoughts. All he had ever dreamed about was to be a starship captain. She had changed everything. 

He got up from the bed to fetch his clothes for the night. "What do you want to wear, T'Pol?" She looked at the different clothes he was pulling out of a container. She pointed at the standard Starfleet nightgown, no big surprise for Jonathan. He helped her into it before he changed into the Starfleet pajamas. "Are you all done?" She nodded. Archer switched the light off and laid down next to her, covering them both with the blanket. 

T'Pol felt the sensation of his skin, the unused cool temperature that emerged from it. Inside her she realized the urge to explore the unknown, alien body next to her. She really enjoyed it when he had touched her, she wanted to feel him again. Archer was lying on his back, listening to her breath. It was so comforting, making him forget all his sorrows. He closed his eyes and tried to absorb all the heat that T'Pol emitted. _She is so close…I can almost touch her…_ Archer felt how his hand wanted to move towards her, but he could hold it back before she noticed something. He took a deep breath. "Good night, T'Pol. Don't let the bed bugs bite." He tried the old earth saying again and awaited a confused reply, demanding an explanation. He was surprised to hear her answer. "I won't Jonathan. Good night." 

He couldn't fall asleep. His mind was uneasy, and although every single part of his body hurt from the exhausting day, he couldn't find the comforting rest of sleep. Just when he was about to try it again, he felt T'Pol move. She had turned her head to face him, although she couldn't possibly see him in the dark. "Are you still awake, Jonathan?" 

"Yes," he whispered.

"Jonathan, I experience the need to talk with you." She felt how his body got tense. 

"Go ahead." He didn't know what to expect. Would she tell him to stop looking at her the way he did, to stop touching her longer than necessary? She must have noticed. 

"I thought about the possibility that we might be stranded here." T'Pol realized how Archer held his breath. "I just want to let you know, that I really appreciate your company and all your help." He didn't answer, he didn't believe his own ears. "If we were to stay here… until the end of our days… I will be able to deal with that," she added. What she didn't say was that she truly enjoyed the thought of spending the rest of her life here with him. 

Jonathan thought about what she just said. He knew that she would probably never be able to move her legs again unless she were treated on Enterprise. She would consider living here, disabled, appreciating his help and company. She was so strong. He turned his head towards her face, knowing she was there, looking at him with her beautiful eyes. "Thank you, T'Pol. I… enjoy… spending time with you also, and I believe that we could make it." With his hand he searched for hers, taking it and holding it to encourage both of them. He was afraid that she would pull away, but she didn't. He didn't know how long they were lying like this, holding each other's hand, looking into the darkness, but knowing that the other one would look back. Archer felt like a teenager who just met the girl of his dreams and who is afraid to take the next step. He didn't want to be yellow. There she was, staring at him, waiting. Waiting what for? He didn't know. But he just had to find out. He slowly moved his hand to pet her arm. She didn't scare away. 

His touch filled her with something she had never experienced before. A heat emerged from inside her, demanding more. It was not her mind who controlled what she said next. "Please Jonathan." He stopped moving, expecting to be told to turn away and forget about this. "Please, don't stop," she whispered. He didn't trust his ears. 

Jonathan had to swallow. "Can you… say that again?" 

Silence fell between them until she finally decided to break it. "Please, repeat what you were doing. I… enjoy… it." 

Archer knew how hard it was for her to speak those words. His hand moved to her face, softly stroking her skin. At this point he couldn't help it anymore. He leaned forward, searching for her lips. T'Pol awaited his kiss, and when their lips finally met, the world seemed to explode around her. She could hear a little voice inside her mind, asking her if she knew what she was doing, but it turned so quiet that she didn't hear it anymore. Jonathan thought he was dreaming. He was kissing her, holding her body tight, feeling her heat and need, overwhelmed by emotion. He wasn't sure whether it were his or hers, now that they were touching their bodies that way he couldn't really tell them apart anymore. He wanted to stay here forever, kissing her. T'Pol laid her arms around him and pulled him closer. "Thank you, Jonathan," she whispered in his ear. "Thank you for doing this to me." Although he couldn't see it, he knew she was smiling. Holding each other tight they were finally able to fall asleep. Both of them were dreaming about this very first intimate kiss they shared.


	7. Stroke of Faith Chapter Seven

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Chapter Seven

T'Pol woke with a kiss. It took her a couple seconds to remember what had happened last night, to recall her very un-Vulcan behavior and to figure out what she would do next. She decided to smile.

"Good morning, T'Pol." Jonathan kissed her softly on the forehead. She put her arms around his neck.

"Good morning, Jonathan."

They stared at each other for a long time. Finally Jonathan spoke up.

"You know, T'Pol, this is really hard to believe. Could you please pinch me so I know that I am not dreaming?"

She hesitated to do so, but after he nodded encouraging, she moved her hand to his cheek and pinched him. 

"Ouch!" he shouted out. 

T'Pol removed her hand right away. "I am sorry, Jonathan, I did not want to hurt you."

"No, that's okay. At least now I know that this all is real…"He assured her as he rubbed his cheek. He stared at her again. 

"Did I ever tell you that you are very beautiful?" 

She shook her head. "Only in my dreams," she whispered.

He smiled. "Sub-Commander T'Pol, I hereby inform you that you are very beautiful."

Archer leaned forward to kiss her. This time it was more intense, more real to him. She responded to him, letting him know that she wanted this as much as he did. They didn't want to let go of each other. His hands wandered off to stroke her back, he held her as close as he could. Again he felt that when touching her she felt much closer than any other women he held like this before. _It probably is a Vulcan thing, _he thought. When they finally parted again, Jonathan got up from the bed.

"What do you think about a day at the lake?" 

T'Pol smiled as an answer. Jonathan enjoyed seeing her smile. He had always wanted her to show more emotions. He picked her up from the bed, softly holding her hand as he carried her outside. 

They spent a wonderful time together. Days passed, and they grew closer to each other with every minute. They hardly talked about not being able to return to the ship. It seemed so far away, so unimportant at the moment. The only thing that reminded them of the ship and crew up there was the daily dropping of supplies and the data padd to keep them up to date. In one of the supply containers Archer had found cutting tools, so he started to build a wheel-chair for T'Pol. He was no craftsman, but he tried really hard to make a good job at it. He was encouraged by her strength. She accepted her disability to walk way easier than he would have ever been able to. _Gosh, she is just incredible, _he thought every time he looked at her. They learned so much from each other. T'Pol learned how to deal with her emotional side, she realized that she really did have emotions, and that it could come in handy sometimes not to try to control them. Jonathan learned how to meditate, how to find inner peace by concentrating on himself and letting go everything that was around him. They had much fun exploring the different cultures they had both grown up in. Their favorite place was the lake. They spent hours there, sitting and talking, looking at the water. When they were there they totally lost track of time. It was not important anyways. No shifts to attend, no schedules, no meetings, no regular calls. Jonathan often wondered if this was paradise. But then, at night, when she was fast asleep, he often got up and walked outside. He looked at the stars, remembered his ship and his dream to explore new worlds. He stood there, not moving, for hours sometimes. He didn't know if T'Pol knew about his nightly walks, but if she did she was so kind not to ask him about it. She knew that if he wanted to talk about something personal, he would. 

This one night when he walked around thinking about his future he heard a loud bang. A container had dropped, close to the shore. He hurried to it and opened it, picking up the padd it held inside. He ran back to the hut, wondering why they dropped this in the middle of the night. They surely knew what time it was down here. 

He found T'Pol awake, sitting upright in her bed.

"Another padd?"

He nodded and sat down next to her. Archer punched a button and Trip's face appeared on the little screen. 

"Good news! We have finally found a way to get you two to the ship again! Tonight's movie showing was a movie about an expedition with a helium balloon. We calculated that it would be possible to get you past the magnetic field and once you are at that distance we can beam you to the ship. Of course there is no way to try this out before, we have one shot, but we all very positive and excited about it. Everyone is working on building the thing and by tomorrow afternoon we should be able to send it down to you. I really don't know why we didn't think of this before. This is probably the only non-technological way to let you fly upwards far enough. Oh, in case we woke you up, we're sorry, but we just had to let you know. You'll be back in no-time. Tucker out."

Archer didn't know whether to be happy or sad. He leaned his head against T'Pol's shoulder, not knowing what to say. She traced the outline of his face with her finger, giving him a smile before she started talking.

"Jonathan, I really enjoyed our time here. But now it is time to return to the ship."

He took a deep breath.

"Yes, you are probably right. It's just that… I am somewhat afraid that it will be different… between us."

He took her hand and looked deeply in her eyes.

"And I don't want it to be different." 

She nodded. 

"I see…"

She leaned forward to kiss him.

"I don't want that either."

He smiled. 

"You know, T'Pol, a stroke of faith brought us together, and I will never let you go."

He highlighted this statement with a deep kiss. 

"I know," she whispered into his ear. 

Hugging each other they fell asleep again, knowing that tomorrow would be a strenuous day. 


	8. Stroke of Faith Chapter Eight

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Chapter Eight

It took Archer a couple hours to assemble the balloon. His crew had sent down more containers with lots of individual parts and instructions as how to put them together. T'Pol had read through them, guiding Archer through it. He liked it how they worked together on this. It would've taken a lot longer if he were here alone, needing to do this by himself. _I wonder what would have happened if I was the only survivor, _Archer thought. _Or what if T'Pol hadn't been in the pod with me? _He stopped working for a moment, gazing over to her, sitting completely lost in the instructions, probably calculating how long it will take them to reach the necessary height. _I could just stand here all day, looking at her… _As if able to read his mind, she looked up and smiled at him. Archer was very relieved to see that she had opened herself up to him by now. She didn't hide her emotions anymore in front of him. _I hope that this won't stop once we're back on __Enterprise__. I would miss her perfect smile. _

"Jonathan?"

"Yes, my darling?"

He had started calling her darling which she enjoyed very much. She had grown very accustomed to earth customs by now. She managed not to forget her Vulcan heritage but to be open to new and different habits that Jonathan had showed her. And smiling was one human habit that was very appealing to Jonathan, she had found out. T'Pol smiled at him. "I am done calculating the proper time and place as where to take off so Enterprise will be able to beam us aboard."

"That is good news!" _I think… _he added in his thoughts. He had come to like the thought of staying here with her forever. She sensed that he was hiding something.

"Is something wrong, Jonathan?"

He went to sit next to her, gazing off into the sky. "I don't know, T'Pol, if someone would've told me that we would be rescued right after the crash I would be ever so happy to return to my ship and crew, to carry out my dream again. But now… I mean, you said that it wouldn't be different, but it will be. I will be your captain again, and you will be my science officer. I doubt it will be easy to handle."

She took his hand. "I never said it would be easy. For me it will be very difficult if my Vulcan superiors find out about it. They might even recall me from Enterprise." His hand firmly closed around hers. She whispered in his ear. "I won't let them, Jonathan. I won't leave you."

He couldn't help himself but to kiss her. If she could manage to keep up the relationship and stand up to her superiors, he would manage too. He just had to. "You can't imagine, what you do to me, darling," he whispered back.

There, another smile. _I should've brought my camera… maybe she'll pose for a picture later, when we're back on the ship._ He thought about his crew, about every single member. An image of his bridge popped into his mind, he was seeing himself sitting in the captains chair, Hoshi, Malcolm, Travis and T'Pol at their stations and knowing that Trip would be in engineering, taking care of his engines. Those people were his friends. And now he was determined to get back to them. He jumped up. "Let me finish this balloon quick. I am almost done. We'll be good to go in less than an hour." 

Archer kept his promise. Fifty minutes later the two of them were looking at a perfectly constructed balloon, with a little basket with just enough room for the two of them, with a gas bottle and lots of sand sacks hanging over the edge of the basket, waiting to be cut loose to start the ascent of the balloon. Two respiratory masked were placed next to the gas bottle, so that Archer and T'Pol would be able to breath properly once they reached the height in which the oxygen level was too low. Over the basket there hung a huge sphere made of some light and very resistant blue-colored fabric, filled with gas. The writing "Enterprise – Shuttlepod 0" was written in huge black letters over the balloon. Archer grinned. He proudly showed his work to T'Pol. A couple hours earlier, all the individual parts had been stuffed into containers, dropped off the starship and sent on their way to the surface. Now those parts would help them get back up to the ship again. "I am very excited about this, T'Pol, I have never taken a balloon-ride."

"Me neither. This kind of transportation is not efficient enough for Vulcans. We don't travel in balloons." 

Did he hear some kind of regret in her voice? If so, this was her chance to ride one and prove to her people that traveling in a balloon could be more efficient than taking a shuttle. At least under those circumstances. 

"I will quickly fetch us some blankets, it might get cold up there," Archer said, pointing into the sky. 

"That is a very good idea, but don't take too long, we will need to lift off in four minutes to get the best start possible," T'Pol answered. Archer nodded and hurried to the hut. He came back with two blankets, some water and food rations.

"Just in case you get hungry on the way up, darling!" 

He tossed the things in the basket and rushed to T'Pol to pick her up. He kissed her on the cheek. 

"Prepare for the ride of your lifetime!" he shouted as he brought her to the basket, carefully placing her next to the supplies. He jumped in as well and put a blanket around his girl. She felt very comfortable, knowing that he was by her side, to take care of her. Everything would be fine. 

"Thank you for everything, Jonathan." Archer could barely hear so, so soft was her whisper. He smiled at her as he cut the sand sacks off. 

"Ignition sequence start… 3… 2… 1…" Archer looked like a little kid who managed to build his first model of a starship, trying it out the first time. He was captain again, commanding a vessel. It felt damn good. He would miss this planet, would keep every memory of his stay here as a precious one in his heart, but now he went to get back to his destiny. He knew it was right.

The balloon slowly took off, rising up into the sky. A long trip lay ahead of them.


	9. Stroke of Faith Chapter Nine

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Chapter Nine

Archer had stopped counting the minutes and hours they have been in this balloon. It has gotten very cold. The two of them sat next to each other, cuddled together under the blankets, warming each other up. They already wore their respiratory masks for it was hard to breath without them. Archer didn't know how much longer they would make it, T'Pol was trembling in his arms. Vulcans weren't used to this cold. He tried to warm her up by drawing her a little more closer to him. She thanked him with a weak smile. They couldn't talk wearing their masks, but there was no need to talk anyway. At first they had enjoyed the view of the land they left, they had pointed out interesting things to see to each other, each hoping to explore something new first. But after a little while they had gotten too far away from the surface to make out details, and since it has gotten colder they had decided to both get under the blanket and wait for Enterprise to pick them up. It was very strenuous, to sit there, not being able to do anything about the situation. It just occurred to Archer that they may not make it. What if the fabric of the balloon ripped? Or what if the gas ran out before they reached the height they needed? What if the crew couldn't find them? Something could have happened to them, maybe they were attacked and wouldn't be there to beam him and T'Pol out of there. Not being able to communicate didn't help the situation. Archer took off his mask. T'Pol looked at him shocked. He leaned his closer to hears, speaking directly into her ear.

"In case we don't make it, I want you to know…" he paused. He stared into her soft and loving eyes. "I want you to know that I love you, T'Pol. I couldn't stand the thought of dying without telling you." 

T'Pol took off her mask as well, revealing a smile. She stared deeply into his eyes and kissed him. "I love you too, and I know that we will make it. Everything will be alright," she whispered just before she passed out. Jonathan quickly put her mask back on to make sure she could breath. He tried to wake her up again, but failed. He realized that she was breathing. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and hoped that Enterprise would find them soon. The sight of her was fading. Archer saw the whole basket fade, the balloon and the sky. He wondered if he was passing out as well, when a couple seconds later he found himself in the transporter room of his ship. 

"We got them, now get us out of here!"

Trips voice was the last thing he heard before his body lost its strength and he smashed on the floor, welcomed by a warm feeling of unconsciousness. 

"I think he's finally waking up."

Archer heard a distant voice, but it was too far off for him to make sense, and he was unable to figure out the owner of it. He felt a cold sensation on his neck.

"There, this should do the rest."

A couple seconds later he felt an energy-rush throughout his body, causing him to abruptly open his eyes. He saw Phlox's face hanging there above him, showing his huge grin. Archer gazed through the room and saw Trip standing right next to the doctor. Archer took a deep breath.

"Permission to come aboard?" he asked with a weak voice.

Trip smiled at his captain. "Permission granted, Sir." 

He gave him a hand to help Archer sit up. The Captain continued his gaze around sickbay, spotting his science officer lying in the bed next to him. She was still asleep. He turned to face Phlox. 

"Is she…?" he didn't dare to complete the question. Phlox understood anyway.

"I was able to undo the damage to her neural-system, Captain. She will be able to use every muscle in her body again. She needs some more time to rest. As do you." 

Archer took a deep breath. He would have liked to jump up and hug Phlox to thank him for saving her. Instead he got up from the bed, walking over to hers and overhearing the doctors protest. "You need to stay in bed for at least 24 more hours, Captain. Doctor's orders."

Archer nodded. "Don't worry, will be right back. Just have to do something."

He stood right next to T'Pol, watching her peaceful sleep. He took her hand, knowing for sure that both Trip and Phlox wouldn't believe what they were seeing. He decided to really give them something to think about and kissed T'Pol on her forehead. "You were right, everything will be alright, darling."

With those words he turned around and went to lie down in his own bed again. He saw the confused and shocked expression in the faces of the two men standing next to his bed. 

"Do you mind, I want to sleep a bit. Doctor's orders."

He fell back asleep with a smile on his face.

_Everything__ will be alright._


End file.
